


New Journey

by Taelle



Series: At the Edge of the Sea [3]
Category: The Silmarillion - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-19
Updated: 2011-01-19
Packaged: 2017-10-14 21:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/153783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taelle/pseuds/Taelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They start a new journey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Journey

Time and place indefinite

Alder leaned back and looked at the bonfire. The flame was steady and would certainly last all night. It was time to rest — if he could.

Maglor was laying quietly a bit further from the fire, but with the man's ability to keep still and quiet Alder couldn't really say whether he was sleeping. At least now, settled into Alder's father's old bedroll and with the fire going, he was sure to be warm. Alder didn't even want to imagine how he got by before that.

Everything was quiet around them, so quiet that Alder could distinguish the soft whisper of the pines at their back, and much further along the shore voices and snatches of music — probably a dance at some village.

It wasn't Alder's first night out of home — even not counting their fishing cruises. He went to the fair that one time, and sometimes had all-night parties and dances on the beach with other young people from the village. But all these times there was a lot of people around. Now he was alone with Maglor.

Alder looked at Maglor again and decided that the man was definitely asleep. Nobody could be that still while awake. He should sleep too — it was a long day, and Alder was tired, but Alder could not manage to calm down. His brain continued churning the events of the day.

Back in the morning he had woken in his own bed — it was so long ago, it seemed to him now. He woke up, and the first thing he remembered was Maglor's presence. Alder jumped off the bed, joyfully buoyed by this, and dressed hurriedly. Then, though, he slowed down, unsure about bothering Maglor first thing in the morning. But when he entered the kitchen, their guest was there already. Mother bustled around, preparing the breakfast for all the family, and Maglor helped her. For a moment Alder just stood there, observing the contrast between mother's energetic movements and Maglor's slow and deliberate ones. His injury apparently put some restrictions on his abilities but still he never dropped anything or even made a single graceless movement.

And then mother saw Alder and called him in to help, and he didn't have a free moment until the whole family sat down for breakfast.

They ate and then they cleaned up and went on their different business. There were chores that Alder had to do, even though the strange festive mood still stayed with him. He hesitated, but then Maglor went to the yard with him and sat there watching Alder work. The chores did not really take that long, now that he could raise his head any time he wanted and check that Maglor was still here. Every time the man caught him looking, he answered with a tiny smile. Alder wished Maglor would sing, but did not dare to ask for it.

And then they went back into the house, for it was almost time for dinner, and mother gave Maglor his clothes, washed and mended. "Thank you, kind lady," Maglor said softly, bowing his head.

Mother looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Will you stay for dinner?"

"If it won't be a problem," he said. "I'll be gone afterwards."

Alder wanted to cry out, but there was a lump in his throat that did not let him utter even one sound. Maglor was leaving.

Perhaps he did utter some sound, for when they were alone in the dining room, Maglor looked straight at Alder with his strange eyes and said, "I cannot stay, Alder."

"But why?" Alder suspected he sounded like a petulant child, but somehow he did not care.

Maglor frowned. "I... it would be wrong. There's no place for me anywhere, especiall here..."

Alder stared at him, dissatisfied with the answer bur not knowing what else to say. Maglor sighed and went to change into his own clothes.

The dinner after that felt much less cheerful than the previous meals. Alder was restless and uneasy, and his parents and siblings seemed to feel this. The younger children hurried to eat and asked immediately for the permission to leave. Father tried to talk about the next cruise, but soon felt silent. And then Maglor spoke.

The family already noticed that their guest spoke rarely, so everybody turned to him. "I thank you for your hospitality," Maglor said. "I will leave after dinner, and I will remember you always with gratitude."

Alder's parents answered with standard well-wishing in his journey. Alder did not say anything. His father glanced at him sharply, but did not voice a reproach, only nodded to himself.

After the dinner mother went to the kitchen again, declaring against Maglor's feeble protests that she was going to pack some food for him to take on the road. In the end he went after her meekly, and Alder was left alone with his father.

For a moment both of them were silent, and then Alder's father asked quietly, "You want to leave with him, don't you?"

And suddenly Alder understood that that was exactly what he wanted. Maglor was right, he could not stay at the village, it wasn't his place — but he showed something to Alder, and now the boy knew that he had to leave home too.

"I..." he started to talk hesitantly, "I know I have to help you, and I love fishing, honestly, I do, but..." The boy took a deep breath. "I just never knew. Not even when we went to the fair, and now..." Alder had no right words to explain why his own village suddenly seemed too small, but he had to try. "Now I know that there's something else in the world. It is bad to wish for more than my own home, but I can't stop feeling it. Feeling the call."

"I know," his father answered gently. "Maybe I always knew that a song will call you away..." The man sighed and for a moment embraced his son tightly, then stepped aside and looked at the boy seriously. "I have helpers enough. You are almost a man already, Alder, and no man should be tied down when his destiny calls. Go, son. Go where you need to go, but never forget your home."

"I..." Now it was even more difficult to speak, but Alder swallowed and went on bravely. "Thank you, father! I love you all, and I'll be back, I promise..."

His father smiled and said "I love you too, son. Now let's go tell your mother and your friend that you'll be leaving with him, and then we have to prepare you for the journey."

And so they went. Alder explained his decision hesitantly, looking at Maglor, as if apologizing for intrusion. After all, he never asked — maybe Maglor was tired of him, of them all already, and

that

's why he decided to leave quickly. So his mother's reaction caught him totally unprepared.

"Why on earth would you want to leave?" she asked in surprise and disbelief. "Your home is here, you don't need to go anywhere!" She turned to Maglor, suddenly enraged. "It's all your doing! You've bewitched him somehow! We all were fine until you appeared!"

Maglor stumbled backwards, his face white. "I'd better go now," he whispered.

Alder's father stepped closer to his wife. "Now, now, Mora," he said, hugging her. "Let the boy be. He's growing up, it's normal for him to go into the world to seek his destiny..."

"His life's here with us!" his mother exclaimed and began to cry in earnest. Alder knew he had to talk to her, but first he needed to stop Maglor.

"Don't go, please," he said entreatingly. "It's not your fault, Maglor, don't go..." He caught the man's shoulder and squeezed it slightly, trying to project reassurance.

"I brought discord into your family," Maglor said tonelessly, looking straight ahead as if not really seeing Alder. "No, you didn't!" Alder said decisively. "Mother, father? Tell him! Tell Maglor he did not do anything wrong!"

"I don't want you to go!" his mother sniffed.

"But he would've gone anyway," father told her quietly, and then looked at their guest. "Do not worry, friend Maglor. You did not make us do anything we wouldn't do on our own."

Maglor still looked a little worried, but father said, "Now, I wouldn't want the boy to go on his own, so would you please look after him for us?". And then mother started to pack even more food and give them both instructions about keeping clothes dry, and drinking only fresh water, and gods know what else. Alder did not take his eyes off Maglor's face. Finally he saw the man smile slightly and sighed in relief.

They left in the early evening, after the whole family and friends came in for tea and to say good bye to Alder. Maglor sat quietly in the corner of the dining room and watched. Alder almost lost hope to ever get out from all this hustle and bustle. From time to time he looked on to check whether the man was still here, and Maglor's quiet smile reminded him that an adventure waited for him.

Finally when Lyta the sailmaker's daughter kissed him, Alder had enough. He found his father and told him it was time to go, and soon all the guests left. The family stood on the porch to say the last good-bye. Father hugged Alder briefly and then let mother kiss him all she wanted. When Alder looked again, he saw that father was shaking Maglor's crippled hand carefully.

The twins went with them till the last house. They chattered incessantly about where

they

would go when they were grown up. Alder looked at Maglor and noticed that the man was humming quietly. That made the boy grin so widely that even the twins noticed.

Finally the younger boys had to turn home. Alder promised for the last time to come back with presents, and then they went along the shore, leaving the village at their back.

They went ahead in silence, comfortable with each other. At one moment Alder said, "Are you going anywhere in particular?"

Maglor shook his head, and Alder grinned. "That's okay anyway," he said, and Maglor smiled in answer.

Leaving so late they could not travel far this day, and when they stopped for the night it was in a place Alder saw before. He supposed it was okay — nothing too strange for the first day. Alder started the fire, glancing doubtfully at his companion. He still did not know how Maglor burned his hands. Could he be afraid of fire? But the man did not protest, and Alder went on.

"What were you humming back in the village?" he asked when they finished their supper.

"Just an old song," Maglor said. "Your brothers reminded me of it somehow."

"Will you sing it to me?" Alder asked hesitantly.

Maglor closed his eyes. "Tomorrow, maybe..." he said quietly.

"Good night, then," Alder said.

"Good night, Alder."

Then they fell silent. Maglor seemed to fall asleep, but Alder was too excited to sleep, and so he lay thinking about his day.

It was a good day, he decided finally, and tomorrow will be better. And maybe Maglor will sing him a song. Alder closed his eyes and fell asleep.


End file.
